Golf course greens, including those used on courses affiliated with the United States Golf Association ("USGA"), are typically constructed using gravel, sand, soil, humus and either seed or sod. A typical construction may consist of a substratum that is laid upon a compacted base of virgin soil covered by a layer of a modified soil mixture and a layer of sand. The modified soil mixture may typically include sand, humus, and natural soil. Sod, which may be grown in sand for use as a golf course green, is then placed on top of the sand layer. While the typical sizes of the layers may vary, it is hoped that the roots of the grass plants which comprise the sod would grow down through the sand layer and ultimately anchor themselves in the modified soil layer.
Constructing a green in this manner requires that a drainage system be installed beneath the surface of the green in order to drain and carry away excess water. Typically, corrugated pipe is placed on the base prior to the layer of modified soil being placed thereon. A generally rectangular pattern of corrugated pipes is typically installed such that a plan view of the layout of such pipes would resemble a checkerboard or herringbone pattern. For the corrugated pipe to be effective as a drain, the pipes must have an elevational fall thereby allowing excess water to flow in a direction away from the green. A green constructed in this manner will be referred to as a "USGA" green for the purposes of this application.
There are many problems arising with both the grass plants themselves and with the drainage systems as a result of the manner in which greens are constructed today. By their very nature, golf course greens are constantly being compacted during use, placing a tremendous amount of stress on the root structure of the individual grass plants. It is known that the longevity and playability of a green is a function of the strength and durability of the root structure of those grass plants and the ability of that root structure to store moisture and nutrients. This is particularly true during the stressful months of July and August in the United States where many areas of the country have high temperatures and little rainfall. Under such heavy stress conditions, even with proper moisture and nutrients, the root structure of grass plants tends to deteriorate. This is believed to be due to the lack of soil pore space that facilitates the passage of oxygen to the root structure and to prevent trapped water from stagnating.
Still other problems arise when employing existing drainage systems of the type described above. While greens have been constructed with such drainage systems for many years, there are many inherent problems with that type of construction. As the drainage system is designed only to carry away excess moisture from the green, such a drainage system does not function to supply water to the green should the moisture level of the green be below normal levels. Thus, a significant amount of watering is required to maintain an adequate moisture level. This creates a wasteful and inefficient watering cycle wherein the green is first saturated with water and then the excess water is drained from the green. Water is simply carried away and not redistributed. Additionally, in order to function as an effective drain, the corrugated pipes must be laid in a pattern such that water may flow downward with the elevation or grade of the land. This often results in expensive subsurface preparation simply to install the necessary drains.
The present invention is directed toward improved care techniques for growing plants which overcomes, among others, the above-discussed problems and provides for the effective, efficient provision of air, water and other fluids to the root systems of plants.